2 arrested in beating of same man in Woonsocket and Milford

December 3, 2011

By

Joseph B. Nadeau

WOONSOCKET â€” Local police working in conjunction with police from Milford, Mass. arrested two city men on charges related to an alleged robbery and assault case said to have begun in the city on Sunday and continued later in Milford, according to Woonsocket Lt. Eugene Jalette, department spokesman.
Myles Mackenzie, 19, of 220 Village Road, was arrested on Tuesday after police were contacted by Milford Det. Jay Ball regarding the assault of a 24-year-old Milford man in that community, Jalette said.
Woonsocket Det. Sgt. William Coupe and members of the patrol division subsequently located Mackenzie at 31 Oak St. and took him into custody, Jalette said. Investigation of the case also led local police to Joseph Scapicchio, 30, of 497 Rathbun St., who was wanted on a Milford warrant obtained in connection with the incident. Scappicchio was found in a second-floor apartment at the Rathbun Street address Wednesday evening after Coupe and Det. Maureen Andreoni went there with uniform officers and Milford Police Department members.
Scapicchio, who came to the door shirtless while officers were speaking with a female party, requested that he be allowed to take along his shirt. Police were given the shirt and a pair of sneakers and the articles were subseqently logged as possible evidence at the police department and stored for further investigation.
Scapicchio was sent to the ACI to await a hearing as an alleged fugitive from justice in Massachusetts on charges said to include kidnapping and assault.
Mackenzie was also sent to the ACI pending a hearing on local charges of 1st degree robbery and conspiracy, both felonies, Jalette said.
Jalette said police believe the victim came to Woonsocket with a few friends on Sunday and was assaulted and robbed at a location here before being taken to Milford against his will. He was assaulted a second time in Milford and ended up being taken to a Massachusetts hospital for treatment of head injuries, Jalette said. Milford Police could not be reached for comment about the case on Friday.
Jalette said the matter remains under investigation and additional arrests could be made in connection with the Milford man's assault and robbery.
"Right now we're just trying to piece this all together," Jalette said. He declined to identify the victim while the case remained under investigation and said additional potential suspects remained at large.
"We believe (the victim) knew his assailants and we're not releasing any additional information regarding this incident at this time," Jalette said. The assault and robbery did not appear to be a random incident and it looks as though the victim was targeted for the assault for a reason, Jalette said.
"We are continuing the investigation and there may be additional people we need to talk to or arrest," he said.